Update October 2016:
By now you will know whether your original decision to stay with the buyer of Reach Local or to go to another provider has been the right one.
If you’ve decided that you need a better alternative, or simply want to talk to a Google Partner Agency about how you could improve your PPC, then why not call us?
Aqueous are still a Google Partner Agency and we’re happy to talk. Call us on 0800 285 1424 now and let us help you improve your presence online without breaking the bank.
Update: March 2016
This article was originally written in December 2015 when the announcement was first made. Three months on and there has been a buyer for the firm leaving a lot of people wondering what to do; stick with them or go elsewhere. Our initial advice of ‘stick it out’ as a buyer may be found has worked but certainly judging by the calls we have received many of you are looking for alternatives.
If you are stuck and looking for a Google Adwords qualified company who can help why not call us today on 0800 285 1424. We can not only provide the PPC management you need but we also have access to the call recording and monitoring platform that so many people liked as part of the Reach Local service. We can have this set up and running for you in a matter of days allowing you to track every click and phone call you business pays for.
=============================================================================================================
It is with some sadness that I saw this on the Reach Local website today;
The full transcript of the message is as follows:
James Cook and Mark Skelton of Duff & Phelps Ltd. were appointed as Joint Administrators to Reachlocal UK Limited on 16 December 2015.
The business will trade as usual under the administrator’s supervision whilst a buyer for the business and assets of the company is sought.
The company will continue to provide all services during this period.
Should you have any queries in relation to the provision of ongoing services, please email enquiries@reachlocal.co.uk in the first instance.
Should you have any queries in relation to the Administration process, please email Duff & Phelps on reachlocal@duffandphelps.com.
Aqueous know and have worked with a number of the people at Reach Local, some of which also used to be with Yell. Naturally we are disappointed to see this news and hope that everyone involved with the business can find a way of ensuring that the employees there have a safe and Happy Christmas.
If you own a business and currently have your PPC campaigns with Reach Local there is no word at the moment on how you are likely to be affected by this development. If you want to talk to someone about how this could affect your business Aqueous will be happy to talk to you about digital marketing and advertising.
What can I do if I am currently using Reach Local for PPC?
We have been approached by a number of customers who are currently using Reach Local for their PPC campaigns asking what their options are. Our advice so far (NB this is just a day or so after the announcement, so it could change) has been to do nothing and stay where you are. Administrators are brought into companies to see if they can either turn around the fortunes and return it to a viable trading entity, to find a buyer or to close the company. At this stage, it is far too early to tell what the likely outcome might be.
As we understand it all current PPC campaigns are still ongoing and they are continuing to discharge the service for which you have paid them. Given the time of year and with many people relying on December and January trading to bolster their revenues this is a good thing. Looking ahead, there is of course the question of what to do should the company be sold to a rival firm (with which you may not want to do business) or if it were to close.
Our recommendations now are the same as they always have been; if PPC is the lifeblood of your business you should own it and the collateral that surrounds it. This includes managing your own PPC account and owning any call monitoring and measuring platforms.
Now this doesn’t mean that you need to do all the work yourself; far from it. Any Google Partner Agency will be able to help you set up an independent PPC account which you own but can then assign suitable partners to help you run and administer. If one of them has the same misfortune as Reach Local then you can simply add in another partner without losing anything.
If you are concerned that you might lose the all important monitoring and call recording then be assured that there are independent services which can do all that the Reach platform could and more besides. Some of the biggest brands in the UK use this technology and it is available for any size of businesses right now.
If you need help or advice on call recording and monitoring, managing PPC or just to explore your strategic options, Aqueous will be more than happy to help.
